This is a very nice park, with well defined trails for hiking. Â They have a fairly new nature center that is wonderful. Â The inn is cozy and homey, rooms are a bit small, but are clean and comfortable. Â The dining room looks out on to the woods, and you can watch the birds while you eat, very relaxing. Â Food is alright, no haute cuisine, but it is filling.
Review Source:We stayed there in early June for a wedding. The ceremony was held on the lawn and the reception was in the Oak Room.
Bedroom Cost: most rooms ranging between $70-$110. But there is GREAT variation in the size and layout of the rooms - our was super tiny but we saw into multiple rooms and some were really long - had sitting areas or had couches - so be sure to ask about the rooms they have available!
Credit Cards: Accepted!
Oak Room: The Oak Room is their indoor space that is rented out for events. Our was seated for 156 including a dance floor, bar, dj area, food area, and present/gift book table. The ceiling is exposed and there are 3 iron chandeliers that hang - they allow you to drape decorations from these chandeliers and from the ceiling - a nice addition. They also allow you to bring in your own licensed bartender - a MAJOR cost reduction. Do you have to do the food through them but you can still bring in your own cake. The Oak Room is handicap accessible and the elevator takes you directly to the room's entrance.
Pros: 1) Staff: although the staff was a bit slow to return calls, they were super helpful while in-person. They were friendly and I would totally recommend them. Also, the maintenance staff member that we saw on both days was really helpful and offered to run an extra extension cord for us - without our asking...this really helped the layout of the ceremony space (located on the front lawn). 2) Bonus helpfulness: they put out food at our event early and (without asking) made sure some of that food was child-friendly - this was VERY appreciated! Plus, they made sure to save two plates for our bride and groom - they were able to heat them up very late that night and were much appreciated by the couple. 3) Beautiful: Everything outside was just so beautiful - everyone was impressed with the scenic setting.
Easy Room For Improvement: 1) Place a strip at the bottom of the room doors - will greatly reduce light and noise without having the cost of replacing the door. 2) Get rid of the bed frames - the bed frames are HORRIBLE - they give no support, wobble, and that was just ours - the one in my friends' room BROKER UNDERNEATH THEM! A simple platform would improve stability, would make the mattress feel more supported/of higher quality, and would prevent people from leaving things under the beds. 3) Blackout curtains underneath the wooden blinds - again this would help with light issues but wouldn't take away from the look of the room. 4) Put a light switch next to the bed and not far above the bed of the sort of light switches that are the tiny knobs that you have fumble for in the dark. 5) When it is time to replace the pillow shams and quilt - do so with something that isn't so feminine and taste-specific - something simple would really appeal to a large demographic. 6) Get rid of the longer sink counter top and place the toilet next the sink - you can supplement the loss of counter space with ample shelving above the toilet - this would make the bathroom big enough for two - also, the bathroom is so small now that you have to squeeze your legs between the toilet and the tub just so the door will shut - how is that ADA compliant? 7) Food: it would be really great if a few more healthy items could be added to the menu. Not just an iceburg and ranch salad.
The rooms are a mixture of old and new. Â This was Indiana's first state park. Â The Inn was originally a sanitarium of sorts. Â Some of the rooms are good sized and resemble a average motel room. Â Some rooms are really small and you have to wonder what their original use was. Â Ask questions about the room before booking. Â See if they will guarantee you a room in the newer part on the first or second floor.
The pool is an outdoor one and is only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Â They have a recreation building and two out door handball courts. Â The restaurant has a buffet for all meals. Â The Inn has a large common room with inviting chairs and couches. Â One of the things I liked best though, the wood burning fireplace, has been converted to gas. Â It was always hard to get a fire lit there, as the chimney did not seem to want to draw. Â So, I guess the gas fireplace was a must.
If you possibly can, book a room just before a snow storm. Â Then fritter away the time for the next few days while watching the birds, deer and other critters. Â We did that once. Â it was decadent.
The state parks offer 2 for 1 nights in the winter and our bill for two nights came to $127.33. Â We took a double queen room that was lovely. There were a pull out couch, half a dozen pretty lamps, a microwave, coffee maker and refrigerator. Â It was newly redone. Â There was only one window facing the woods. Â The room was a pleasant surprise.
The restaurant is okay and like other state parks, nothing special. Â The only thing that drags us out of the parks for dinner is that they don't serve alcohol. Â
Speaking of dinner, it is not easy to combine food and libations in Spencer. Â We loved Skid Row but they don't serve food on Monday. Â We ended up at El Ranchero (see seperate review) for a nice experience.
The staff was nice if not always knowledgeable. Â No one seemed to know much about the surronding area but they were so friendly.
There is a very efficient elevator that took us to our 3rd floor room. Â
The Canyon Inn is our favorite of the few state park lodges we have seen so far.
Honestly, the only reason to stay in this inn is if you are recovering from TB, like all the people that stayed here in the 1930s did. You are basically in a tiny box, where you pretty much just have to stick your bum in the front door of the loo to reach the toilet. Cripes.
Don't even bother trying to eat in the restaurant; you're better off shooting a squirrel in the back and roasting it on the hot cement by the pool.
Which is a redeeming feature, actually. Very clean, very nice pool that is not deep at all, which is nice for me because I am short. Â Also, the gift shop is kind of cute and the staff is all nice (except the gormless trailer honkies that work in the restaurant).
All in all, it beats camping, but not by much,
Sigh. I am sadly here for two more nights...
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,971 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,316 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,913 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,986 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
